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Ex-Laker Javaris Crittenton faces murder charge in Georgia

Former Laker Javaris Crittenton is expected to be sent back to Atlanta soon to face a charge of murder after his dramatic arrest Monday night while boarding a plane at John Wayne Airport.

Officials said Crittenton, wanted in connection with a drive-by shooting in Atlanta, is being held an LAPD jail facility and could face a court hearing as early as Wednesday.

Earlier Monday police said Crittenton may have been hiding in the L.A. area and was considered armed and dangerous. He was arrested as he was about to board a plane back to Atlanta.

Crittenton was arrested on a murder warrant, the FBI said.

He was taken into custody without incident by a fugitive task force of FBI agents and Los Angeles Police Department officers, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. He was being booked Monday night by LAPD officers.

Crittenton, 23, allegedly shot Jullian Jones, a mother of four, on Aug. 19 as she stood outside her home with two other people, authorities said.

Atlanta homicide detectives said Crittenton was trying to shoot someone he believed had stolen jewelry from him in April, according to Georgia law enforcement sources.

Jones was caught in a hail of bullets from the driver’s side of a sport utility vehicle. She was hit multiple times and declared dead at a hospital, according to authorities.

Crittenton, of Fayetteville, Ga., was drafted by the Lakers in 2007 but was traded in his rookie year to the Memphis Grizzlies. His NBA career sputtered with the Washington Wizards in 2009 when he and then-teammate Gilbert Arenas pulled guns on each other.